1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image composition method and an image composition apparatus for combining an image with a template, and also to a computer-readable recording medium storing a program to cause a computer to execute the image composition method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A service for generating a picture postcard for a new year""s greeting and the like by using a template comprising characters or an illustration for greeting and a blank space for inserting a photograph has been available. Such a postcard is generated from a user""s original photograph recorded on a negative film or the like and brought in to a DPE shop by the user. At the DPE shop, the original image is converted into digital image data and composite image data are obtained by composing the digital image data with template data representing a template or indicating a character position. The postcard is generated by printing a composite image based on the composite image data. For generating such postcards, a method of finishing a composite image having a well-balanced image and template by setting the brightness of both the image and the template to 18%, which is a standard reflection ratio, has been proposed (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10(1998)-124693, for example).
Meanwhile, an image can be expressed by using a sensation expression such as xe2x80x9cvividxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cmodestxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9ccalmxe2x80x9d. In order to search for an image corresponding to a sensation expression desired by a user among a plurality of images, a search apparatus has been proposed (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9(1997)-114853). In this search apparatus, the images as well as characteristic values related to the images and representing the content of processing based on sensation expressions regarding the images are stored, and the desired image is searched for by calculating the characteristic value corresponding to the sensation expression used by the user.
Since respective images and templates used for image composition give different impressions, a composite image comprising an image and a template both giving different impressions becomes unharmonious if the processing for equalizing the brightness of the image and the template has been carried out as has been described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10(1998)-124693. In this case, it is possible to generate a composite image by relating templates with sensation expressions and by searching for a template corresponding to an impression of an image, as has been described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9(1997)-114853. However, since the number of templates is limited, a template corresponding to the impression of the image may not necessarily be a desired template.
The present invention has been conceived based on consideration of the above problems. An object of the present invention is to provide an image composition method and an image composition apparatus for combining an image with a desired template in a favorable balance in terms of impression, and also a computer-readable recording medium storing a program to cause a computer to execute the image composition method.
A first image composition method of the present invention is a method of obtaining composite image data by composing template data representing a template with image data representing an image, and the first method comprises the steps of:
reading the template data and accompanying information representing an impression of the template from storing means storing the template data and the accompanying information;
obtaining processed image data by carrying out image processing on the image data according to the accompanying information; and
obtaining the composite image data by composing the template data with the processed image data.
A second image composition method of the present invention is a method of obtaining composite image data by composing template data representing a template with image data representing an image, and the second method comprises the steps of:
reading the template data from storing means storing the template data;
generating accompanying information in accordance with an impression of the image, based on the image data;
obtaining processed template data by carrying out image processing on the template data according to the accompanying information; and
obtaining the composite image data by composing the processed template data with the image data.
The xe2x80x9caccompanying informationxe2x80x9d herein referred to means information representing an impression of a template or an image. The accompanying information may be information expressed by using a sensation expression such as xe2x80x9clightxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cmodestxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9csummer-likexe2x80x9d, or xe2x80x9ccalmxe2x80x9d, or information indicating the content of image processing expressed by a sensation expression. The content of image processing and the sensation expression may be related experimentally or statistically in advance. Furthermore, as has been described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9(1997)-114853, a physical characteristic value such as thickness of lines, contrast, a straight-line ratio, an orthogonal-component ratio, a black-area ratio, and a degree of symmetry around a vertical axis may be found by carrying out an operation for extracting a characteristic on the template data or on the image data. According to a relationship between this characteristic value and a sensational characteristic value found in advance, the sensational characteristic value is determined as the sensation expression.
A first image composition apparatus of the present invention is an image composition apparatus for obtaining composite image data by composing template data representing a template with image data representing an image, and the first image composition apparatus comprises:
storing means for storing the template data with accompanying information expressing an impression of the template;
reading means for reading the template data and the accompanying information from the storing means;
image processing means for obtaining processed image data by carrying out image processing on the image data according to the accompanying information; and
composition means for obtaining the composite image data by composing the template data with the processed image data.
A second image composition apparatus of the present invention is an image composition apparatus for obtaining composite image data by composing template data representing a template with image data representing an image, and the second image composition apparatus comprises:
storing means for storing the template data;
reading means for reading the template data from the storing means;
generating means for generating accompanying information in accordance with an impression of the image, based on the image data;
image processing means for obtaining processed template data by carrying out image processing on the template data according to the accompanying information; and
composition means for obtaining the composite image data by composing the processed template data with the image data.
The image composition methods of the present invention may be provided as a computer-readable recording medium storing a program to cause a computer to execute the image composition methods.
According to the first image composition method and the first image composition apparatus of the present invention, the processed image data are obtained by carrying out image processing on the image data used for image composition according to the accompanying information representing the impression of the template used for image composition, and the composite image data are obtained by composing the processed image data with the template data.
Meanwhile, according to the second image composition method and the second image composition apparatus of the present invention, the processed template data are obtained by carrying out image processing on the template data used for image composition according to the accompanying information representing the impression of the image data used for image composition, and the composite image data are obtained by composing the processed template data with the image data.
Therefore, in a composite image obtained by reproducing the composite image data, the image and the template are well balanced in terms of impression. In this manner, the composite image giving a preferable impression can be obtained.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.